1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to trash bag holding devices and more particularly to an improved device for supporting and spreading or holding open the mouth portion of thin walled bags such as plastic bags of the type widely used both in the home and in business establishments for bagging refuse.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most household and business refuse is now collected in disposable plastic bags. Such bags are normally employed as a liner for large rigid covered receptacles, or trash cans which are emptied simply by lifting the disposable bag from the can. It is frequently desirable, however, to provide such a plastic bag for collecting trash in areas where, for various reasons, it may be undesirable to employ the rigid trash can. However, the thin, slippery flexible walls of the plastic trash bags make them difficult to fill since they are incapable of supporting themselves even temporarily. Accordingly, numerous devices have been developed for supporting the open top of a plastic trash bag to facilitate filling the bag and to prevent spilling the trash during storage.
One prior art trash bag holding device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,099. According to this known device, a portion of the plastic bag adjacent the open top is draped over a supporting object such as a door knob, and a resilient spring loop is then placed around the knob to retain the top of the bag above the floor. An elongated spreader bar attached to the spring extends outwardly in each direction so that the bag top may be draped or hooked over its ends to spread open the bag top. This prior art device is not entirely satisfactory, however, in that an existing supporting structure such as a door knob is not always available where it is desired to support a trash bag for receiving refuse. Further, the open top of the bag could easily be dislodged from the end portions of the spreader bar, making it more difficult to open the bag top for receipt of trash. In addition, as the bag of this prior art device is filled, weight of the trash can cause rupturing of the bag in the area supported on the door knob and may result in spilling of the contents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,208 also discloses a bag holding and closing apparatus intended for supporting a flexible bag such as a conventional plastic trash bag. This device employs a pair of elongated resilient plate members joined at their end portions and adapted to have their central portions sprung apart to enable the open mouth of a trash bag to be inserted therebetween. The end of the bag is then everted back over itself and over the resilient members. To place trash in a bag held by this device, it is necessary to grasp a handle and exert sufficient force to spread and hold the plate members apart. Again, such a device is not entirely satisfactory in that it is not convenient to use, and installing an empty trash bag in the device can present substantial difficulty.
Numerous other bag holding devices are known in the art but are not entirely satisfactory for supporting the thin walled, slippery plastic trash bags now commonly used. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved trash bag holding and spreading device.
Another object is to provide an improved trash bag holding device particularly suitable for use in supporting and holding open the mouth portion of a thin walled bag such as a plastic trash bag.
Another object is to provide such a trash bag holder which will releasably but firmly grip the wall of a trash bag along a substantial distance adjacent the open mouth while leaving the remainder of the bag mouth hanging free in position to receive trash deposited therein.
Another object is to provide such a trash bag holding device including a first member adapted to be mounted on and in outwardly spaced relation to a supporting wall in position to have the open mouth of a bag draped thereover, and a second clamping member adapted to be releasably secured to the first member to releasably but firmly clamp the bag to simultaneously hold and spread the mouth of the bag.
Another object is to provide such a trash bag holding device including a pair of elongated clamping members adapted to be releasably assembled together with elongated opposing complementary grooved clamping surfaces adapted to cooperate in the assembled relation to clamp a portion of the wall of a trash bag along a substantial distance adjacent the open mouth and providing through openings in the assembly at each end of the clamping area to permit excess bag material to pass between the clamping members in an unclamped condition.